NJ Education Report

From his State of the State address yesterday:

Today, I’m announcing that my administration will aggressively prioritize regulatory relief for charter schools. We’re going to explore ways to create greater flexibility in the teacher certification process for charter schools and we’re also going to explore ways to make it easier for charter schools to find facilities. And we will pursue the regulatory reforms we need to encourage development of more charter schools to serve our most at-risk youth, including students with autism or development delays.

Charter schools for children on the autism spectrum or those with other disabilities is a great idea, and other states have had success with this model. New Jersey is a natural for this, given the robust industry of private education schools that serve students with moderate to severe disabilities. But, as I reported this past summer, there are currently no special education charter schools in New Jersey. (A charter school for children with autism was approved in Newark but the application was withdrawn.)

Last year the Department of Education turned down a charter school for children with disabilities proposed for South Jersey. There’s a need and a supply; now it’s on the D.O.E.